"We
have a real problem with illegal immigration in this country. I campaigned
for the toughest immigration laws, and I'm proud of the Legislature for
working tirelessly to create the strongest immigration bill in the country."

That’s
what Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said on June 9th, 2011, upon the
signing of the Yellowhammer State’s new immigration law, HR 56.
The law is considered the nation’s strictest anti-illegal immigration
measure.

The
law was scheduled to take effect September 1st, but guess what? It’s
been blocked in court by U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Blackburn. Hopefully
it will be upheld.

In the
meantime, how about a look at the law to see what the hoopla is all about.

It’s
worth pointing out that HR 56 was passed by a Republican-controlled legislature.
(It’s the first time Republicans have controlled both House and
Senate in 136 years). And it was signed by a Republican governor.

See
what Republicans can do at the state level when they have the will to
do it?

So what’s
in Alabama’s new law ?

1.
If anyone gets stopped by law enforcement , can’t produce documentation,
and is suspected of being illegal, the police can detain him. In fact,
the police are required to detain him. 2. Anybody who knowingly transports, harbors or rents
property to an illegal alien is guilty of a crime3. Businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens are
penalized. 4. Businesses are required to use E-Verify for the hiring
of new employees. 5. Public schools are required to determine citizenship
status of all students. 6. It’s a felony for an illegal alien to register
to vote. 7. Illegal aliens can’t attend college. 8. And any contract with an illegal alien is itself illegal!

Unsurprisingly,
the law has attracted a lot of hysteria.

"This
law is an outrageous throw-back to the pre-Civil Rights era,” said
Cecilia Wang of the ACLU.

Did
you ever notice how they always bring up that “pre-Civil Rights
era” when they want to deflect attention from what is going on in
our nation today?

The
public school part, even though it doesn’t require any students
to get expelled, is a target of criticism.

And
there are predictable complaints that the law could cause a “labor
shortage” in agriculture and construction. How predictable.

Gene
Armstrong, mayor of the community of Allgood puts that in perspective:

"We
managed in the past without illegal immigrants to pick the tomatoes here,
and I haven't heard anyone say that if we sent them all home nobody would
be left to do that work. When you have 9 percent unemployment, I think
that some people who might not have wanted those jobs previously might
reconsider."

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HR 56
has not yet officially taken effect, but there is evidence that it is
already scaring illegals away from Alabama. At least that’s what
Reuters said in a sob story article entitled Tough
Alabama Immigration Law Convinces Some to Move (Monique Fields, Reuters,
July 14th, 2011).

The
article starts out with an anecdote about an illegal alien couple (from
Argentina) who have already left:

“Nicolas
Hernandez said goodbye to his parents just days after Alabama lawmakers
passed what is being described as the country's toughest crackdown on
illegal immigration.His mother and father, undocumented workers at a farm
near Birmingham, decided not to chance getting ensnared by the new law
and returned to their home country of Argentina.”

The
Hernandez family, interestingly, had entered legally years ago on a 3-year
medical visa for Nicolas. When that visa expired they just stayed in the
country illegally. Now, the parents are going back to Argentina but Nicolas
is staying.

After
relating the Hernandez family story, Monique Fields waxes poetic about
the effect of HR 56:

“How
many others have decided to leave Alabama for other states or to return
to their home countries before the new law takes effect on September 1
is unclear. But legal and illegal immigrants have flocked to the Hispanic
Interest Coalition of Alabama requesting legal help, including parents
who might need to return to their native countries and leave a child behind
in the United States.”

They
might “need” to “leave a child behind”? Why don’t
they take their children with them?

Then
there are the personal interests:

“Social
worker and Spanish translator Jennifer Owen said her livelihood is in
jeopardy, and she will be among those who leave the state if the law stands.”

The
drafters of the new law, however, are standing firm.

"‘For
illegal immigrants to now be leaving the state shows they know Alabama
is serious about enforcing its laws,’ said Todd Stacy, a spokesman
for Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.”

They
had better stand firm, because the new law was besieged by lawsuits.

Quoth
Micky Hammon, Alabama House Majority leader:

"These
far-left, liberal groups have filed (for) an injunction because those
who live here illegally and break our laws with their simple presence
are packing up and leaving Alabama. That was the intent of the bill in
the first place, to protect our borders and our jobs."

The
Mexican government is happy about the Obama lawsuit. In fact, on the same
day (they watch these matters closely) the SRE (Mexican foreign ministry)
released a statement applauding the Obama administration:

“The
Government of Mexico…welcomes the decision of the United States
Federal Government to take legal action in order to prevent the entry
into force of Alabama’s HB 56. The law criminalizes immigration
and could lead to the selective application of the law by local authorities.”

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“Selective
application”? What the Mexican government opposes is the application,
period, of U.S. immigration law.

“The
Government of Mexico acknowledges the sovereign right of all countries
to enact laws and implement public policies in their own territory.”

So what’s
the problem?

“At
the same time, it reiterates its unwavering commitment to protect, by
all available means, the rights and dignity of Mexicans abroad, especially
in the case of laws that could lead to the violation of the civil and
human rights of our nationals.”

Uh,
if these people are illegal aliens, they have no right to be here.

Anyway,
the lawsuits began to pile on, and so Mexico got into the act by filing
a Friend of the Court brief. Not only that, but Mexico invited 15 other
Latin American nations to join it! The other nations are Guatemala, Honduras,
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia,
Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
Some of those countries send a lot of illegal aliens to the U.S., and
some don’t, but I guess it’s just the principle of the thing,

Latin
American solidarity or something.

The
lawyer representing these 16 nations is Birmingham attorney Edward Still,
who says these 16 countries “want to have one immigration law and
not 50.”

In the
first place, our immigration law is none of their business. In the second
place, we do have one immigration law, it’s just that our own government
doesn’t want to enforce it!

“
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that the Government of Mexico
filed today a Friend of the Court Brief (Amicus Curiae) before the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, in the lawsuit filed
by several national and local civil society organizations to challenge
the constitutionality of House Bill 56 (Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer
and Citizen Protection Act)….”

“…Some
of its provisions would criminalize immigration and could lead to the
selective application of the law.[Any law could be selectively enforced.
The solution here, of course, is to detain all the illegal aliens in Alabama.
Would the Mexican government like that?] Its enforcement could adversely
affect the civil rights of Mexican nationals living in Alabama or visiting
that state. [If they’re legal what’s the problem?] HB 56 also
contains provisions that require elementary and secondary schools to determine
the immigration status of children and their parents upon enrollment as
criteria to refer them to certain school programs, which could lead to
potential cases of discrimination based on national origin and ethnicity,
that could affect Mexicans and U.S. citizens of Mexican descent.”

Notice
that last part about “U.S. citizens of Mexican descent.” After
all, Mexico claims jurisdiction over them also.

The
statement contains this threat, which you can count on to carry out:

“The
Government of Mexico will continue to make use of all available means
and channels in order to firmly and immediately respond to any violation
of the fundamental rights of Mexicans, regardless of their immigration
status.”

The
Montgomery Advertiser reported on August 8th that “About three dozen
plaintiffs, including Long, sued to block the law, saying it violates
the federal government's supremacy over immigration law and will lead
to racial profiling, among other criticisms. The American Civil Liberties
Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Immigration Law
Center are representing the plaintiffs in the suit.”

Our
country is under invasion, and our government is aiding the invaders.
But the valiant efforts of patriots in states such as Alabama and Arizona
give us hope. They fight for us all.

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What
about the politicians in your state? Could you convince them to enact
similar legislation? Just imagine if, every couple of months, another
state passed similar legislation. Imagine the momentum,the publicity,
the education of the public. Right now, the states are where you find
the real action defending our country.

And
one more thing. What about all these Republican presidential wannabees
wandering about our nation? What do they think about the Alabama law?
Would any candidate go on record as supporting it? Is there at least one
candidate who would go to Alabama and openly support that state? Would
any candidate call on Judge Blackburn to uphold the HR 56 law?

It’s worth
pointing out that HR 56 was passed by a Republican-controlled legislature.
(It’s the first time Republicans have controlled both House and
Senate in 136 years). And it was signed by a Republican governor.